Weasley Weddings
by Bad Mum
Summary: The weddings of the Weasley siblings, as recounted by Victoire Weasley, aged about ten. Sober Universe, so the pairings and kids are mine not JKR's... Now complete.
1. Maman and Dad

I should be finishing the current chapter of "Birthdays", but I seem to have hit a block with it, and the plot bunny bit while I was cooking the tea.

Probably not a oneshot...

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**Weasley Weddings**

**I. Maman and Dad**

The first one was Maman and Dad's, and I've only seen pictures of that because I wasn't born then.

(Granny made a "hrmmph-y" noise when I said that to her once, and said of course I wasn't because weddings come before babies. But that doesn't make sense because Will and Owen were both at Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri's wedding – and David too, in Auntie Eleri's tummy. But when I said _that_, Granny made the noise again and said well, that hardly counted as a proper wedding anyway. Though I think it did, because it was fun, and Dad and Uncle Charlie practically never stopped laughing all day, and I thought weddings were supposed to be fun. But Granny obviously doesn't think that's the most important thing about them, so p'rhaps I'm wrong.)

_Anyway_, I'm supposed to be writing about Maman and Dad's wedding, because that came first, not Uncle Charlie's, but I'm not very good at keeping to the subject sometimes. Dad says I get that from Maman.

Maman and Dad got married in the middle of a war. They got married at Granny and Grandad's house, The Burrow, and they had to have all sorts of magic protection round it to stop Mouldy Voldemort and the Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic getting in. (The Ministry of Magic were sort of on Voldemort's side, but not quite, because there were still some good people working there like Grandad, and Uncle Percy, though no one was really sure if he was good or not back then.) And the main reason Voldemort and his lot wanted to get in was because Uncle Harry was there, and he was the person that Voldemort hated most of all and _really_ wanted to get rid of. But when you look at pictures of the wedding, you can't even see Uncle Harry (who wasn't Uncle Harry then, because it was ages before he and Auntie Ginny got married – he was just Harry, who was Uncle Ron's best friend). And the reason you can't see him is 'cos they made him drink Polyjuice Potion and pretend to be Cousin Barney Weasley, who doesn't even exist, just in case anyone told Voldemort that Harry Potter was at Maman and Dad's wedding.

So when I was really little and looked at the pictures of the wedding, I always used to say, "Who's that?" and point at this funny-looking red-haired man who didn't really look like a proper Weasley, and who looked like his dress robes were too tight. And Maman and Dad would tell me it was Uncle Harry, and sometimes I would say, "Okay," and other times I'd get cross and say it wasn't, 'cos Uncle Harry looks nothing like that at all, and doesn't even have red hair 'cos he's a Potter not a Weasley. (Not that _all_ Weasleys have red hair now. Mine's sort of reddish blonde – Maman calls it strawberry blonde – and so's Sharlie's, but Remus and Art and Gabe all have proper red Weasley hair, and so do most of the cousins, but not all of them.)

And the other thing I used to ask when I was little when I looked at the photos was why there were two Uncle Georges in some of the pictures, though one of them had two ears, and Uncle George only has one because of Mouldy Snape, who cursed the other one off. (And everyone thought he was a baddy, and one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, but it turned out in the end that he'd been on Our Side all along after all, and was really brave, but that didn't make Uncle George's ear grow back, did it?) And then Dad would look sort of sad, and Maman would frown at me for making Dad look sad (though I never meant to, I just kept forgetting), and they'd say it wasn't two Uncle Georges, the other one was Uncle Fred, who was Uncle George's twin brother who died in the last battle against Voldemort when Our Side finally won. And they'd tell me I shouldn't forget Uncle Fred, even though he died before I was born, because he was really brave and good and funny – and I'm sure he was, because Uncle George is, and everyone says they were _really _like each other (like Art and Gabe) – but it's hard when you're little to remember about someone who you never even knew but only heard about.

And in the middle of the photos of course are Dad and Maman, looking really happy. (They didn't know then that Mouldy Voldy's Death Eaters were going to turn up and muck up the end of the wedding.) And Maman looks sort of shiny, and even more beautiful than she normally does; and Dad is smiling so much that you don't even notice the horrible scars on his face, which were even horribler then than they are now because they were so new. (Not that I ever notice them much anyway, because he's just my Dad and that's how he looks, and you don't really notice what your parents look like most of the time, do you?)

And Auntie Ginny and Tante Gabrielle, who were the bridesmaids, are there too, in _really gorgeous _gold dresses. (Maman says she wanted pink, but couldn't have it, 'cos pink wouldn't go with Auntie Ginny's hair.) And Uncle Charlie, who was best man (the best man ought to be the man getting married I think, but it isn't) is there in his dress robes looking really smart, which isn't like Uncle Charlie at all.

And there are lots of other people in the biggest photo – Granny and Grandad; and Grandmère and Grandpère; and Uncle George and dead-Uncle-Fred-who-looks-like-Uncle-George; and Uncle Ron, and Uncle-Harry-in-disguise, and Aunt Hermione (who was just Hermione then, but was sort of Uncle Ron's girlfriend already); and Teddy's Mum and Dad (who died in the same battle as Uncle Fred, and my brother Remus is named after Teddy's Dad); and Great Auntie Muriel (who is kinda scary); and Mr Lovegood and his daughter (who are nice-but-weird), and oh, _loads _of other people.

And after the picture was taken, they had food and speeches and dancing and all the other wedding-y things, and then really late in the evening, Kingsley Shacklebolt, who's the Minister for Magic now, but back then was a member of the Order of the Phoenix (like Granny and Grandad and Dad), sent his Patronus to say that Mouldy Voldemort had taken over the Ministry. And then all these Death Eaters turned up, and everyone was screaming and running away, and Dad laughs about it now and says at least they had an _exciting _end to their wedding, but I don't think he and Maman thought it was very funny at the time. But Grandad told him and Maman to Disapparate really fast, and they did, and went on honeymoon to Bordo (which is in France, and Maman would be cross if she knew I'd forgotten how to spell it).

And that was the end of Maman and Dad's wedding, and the next one (I think) is Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's, though I'd better check with Maman, because I might have got that wrong.


	2. Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope

Sorry this has taken a while - it's come out longer than I expected too. I decided various people were right, and Ron and Hermione shouldn't be next. Thank goodness Victoire's young enough to get things like that wrong!

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**II. Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope**

Well, it's a good thing I asked Maman, because it turns out it wasn't Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione next. (P'rhaps I thought it was because that's the first one I remember much about, though Maman says I should've known it was later 'cos of Art and Gabe being born then.) The next one was Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope. (For some reason, Aunt Penelope and Aunt Hermione are "Aunt" not "Auntie". All the others – Eleri, Katie and Ginny are "Auntie". Maman's sister is "Tante" Gabrielle, because she's French – like Maman obviously – and "Tante" is French for "Aunt". Like we call our mother "Maman" 'cos she's French, but all the cousins call their mothers "Mum" or "Mummy".)

_Anyway_, as I was saying, Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope were the next wedding, then Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry, and _then _Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Good thing I checked! So – Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope. They got married in the summer, like Maman and Dad, four years after Maman and Dad did, and three years after the end of Mouldy Voldy. I was nearly two, and when you see Maman in the wedding photos she looks fattish 'cos she had Sharlie (Charlotte actually, but no one calls her that) in her tummy.

I think I'd better explain about Uncle Percy. I don't know if you noticed, but he wasn't in the list of people in the picture of Maman and Dad's wedding. That's because he wasn't there. The first time that I realised that he wasn't, I was about seven. (Uncle Percy isn't as loud as the rest of the uncles. Sometimes it's easy to miss him, and I don't think I ever noticed before that he wasn't in the picture.) I asked Dad where he was, because it seemed a bit weird to me to miss your _own brother's _wedding. Dad sighed, and explained that Uncle Percy had had a big argument with the rest of the family, and didn't talk to them for nearly three years, and his and Maman's wedding was in the middle of that time. He said he'd wanted Uncle Percy to come, and had sent him an invitation, but Uncle Percy sent it back without opening it.

Three years! Fancy not talking to your family for three years! I mean, Maman and Dad get mad at me when I don't tidy my room or when I argue about helping the twins get dressed or something, and they tell me off. (Maman always tells me off in French or in very Frenchy English for some reason. Dad says she forgets her English when she's cross.) And I yell at them then, but we always make friends again pretty quick. And I argue all the time with Sharlie and Remus, and Art and Gabe are just pests, but I can't imagine not talking to any of them for _three years_. Last time Sharlie and me had a _really big_ argument (she nicked my new top that Auntie Katie bought me, and spilt pumpkin juice all down it) I managed not to talk to her for two days, and that was just awful, I missed being friends with her so much.

Anyway, Dad explained that when Mouldymort first came back, lots of people, especially people in the Ministry of Magic, didn't want to believe it, and said that Uncle Harry (just Harry then), who saw him come back but who was the only person who did, was mad or telling lies or something. (Which is very stupid in my opinion, 'cos Uncle Harry is definitely not mad, and is _very bad_ at even the silly little lies that grown-ups sometimes tell kids – Sharlie and me can always catch him out if he tries it on us.) And because Uncle Percy worked at the Ministry, and had just got promoted (that means got a more important job with more pay), he wanted to keep on the right side of the important people there who thought that Voldemort hadn't come back. So he said he didn't believe Uncle Harry either, and had a big row with Grandad with a lot of yelling (I can't imagine that – Granny yells a lot, but Grandad doesn't), and Uncle Percy said some horrible things, which Dad said I didn't need to know about (I wish he'd told me though). And the rest of the family got involved, and Uncle Percy went off and lived by himself in London and wouldn't even talk to Grandad if he saw him at work, and didn't come back till just before (really just before – like an hour or something) the battle when Voldemort got killed. But Dad said I wasn't to ask Uncle Percy about it (and if he found out that I had, I'd have to help de-gnome Granny and Grandad's garden every weekend for the next six months, which is quite a threat, even for Dad) because Uncle Percy still felt really guilty about it now, even though it was such a long time ago, especially because of Uncle Fred dying. (I'm not sure why that makes it worse, but Dad seems to think it does).

Anyway, after the battle and Uncle Fred dying and everything, Uncle Percy came back to live at The Burrow with Granny and Grandad for a while. And Dad says Uncle Percy living at The Burrow then was really good, and it helped him feel part of the family again (which he always was, but it didn't feel like it) and it helped everyone else feel he belonged again, and having him there made Uncle Fred dying seem just a tiny bit not-quite-so-awful.

And while he was living at The Burrow, Uncle Percy was going out with Aunt Penelope, who he used to go out with at school, and then they didn't go out for a bit, and then just after Uncle Percy had the Big Row with Grandad, he met Aunt Penelope again and they started going out again. And he was still going out with her after the battle when he was living with Granny and Grandad, but he didn't tell anyone that he was for quite a long while. (I don't know why. When I asked Dad, he said he didn't really know why either, but he thought it was probably something to so with Uncle Percy feeling guilty about Uncle Fred and the argument and everything. That makes no sense to me. I think grown-ups are just weird sometimes.)

But eventually Granny and Grandad and Dad and Maman and everyone did find out about Uncle Percy going out with Aunt Penelope. (It was sort of an accident, Maman said – Uncle Percy didn't mean for them to find out). And everyone was really pleased, though Uncle Charlie and Uncle George and Uncle Ron teased him about it, and Uncle George said they should've guessed because Aunt Penelope was a Prefect like Uncle Percy, and there was a law that Hogwarts Prefects had to go out with other Prefects, and preferably marry them too. (And Dad says he asked him how come he married Maman then, and Uncle George said it didn't count if you married a foreigner.)

And then after Uncle Percy got used to the fact that everyone knew about him and Aunt Penelope, she started coming round to The Burrow and doing Weasley family things sometimes, and eventually she ended up being there as much as Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry (who had always been around even before they were going out with Uncle Ron and Auntie Ginny). And at about the same time, Auntie Katie started being around a lot too, 'cos she'd just started going out with Uncle George.

And quite soon after that – about a month after I was born actually – Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope got engaged (which means Uncle Percy asked her to marry him and she said yes). And Uncle Percy moved out of The Burrow and got a flat in London with Aunt Penelope. (She worked in London too, at something called a "Magic Spa", where witches go to have beauty treatments and things. Sounds boring to me, but Maman went to one once, and said it was "merveilleuse et fantastique".) But they didn't actually get married for nearly another two years, because Aunt Penelope's mother insisted that her daughter have a "Proper Wedding", which apparently takes a long time to plan. I asked Granny once what she meant by that, and Granny sniffed and said she was sure she didn't know, and three hundred and fifty guests, and eight bridesmaids and albino peacocks and two bands and a seven course meal weren't necessary for a wedding in her opinion. (But she obviously has her own idea about what a "Proper Wedding" is, because she says Uncle Charlie's and Aunt Eleri's wasn't one. It's very odd.)

Anyway, I don't really remember much about the wedding, because I was so little. I remember having a red dress that matched Maman's. (Maman says I was sick all down it after the meal, but I don't remember that.) And I remember the gold balloons and streamers and real fairies in the trees round the marquee (that's a big posh tent). And I remember the white peacocks, though I didn't know what they were, and I just yelled "Birdie!" at them.

And I don't remember starting to cry really loudly just as the Regiwizard stood up to do the actual marrying bit. Dad had to take me out 'cos Granny and _all _of Aunt Penelope's relatives were glaring at me – especially her mother – and he says he doesn't know if Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope are _really_ married 'cos he missed it.

There are loads and loads of photos of the wedding. (Lots more than of Maman and Dad's. Dad laughed when I asked him why, and said he didn't think Aunt Penelope's mother would have thought that their wedding was "Proper" at all, though it was good enough for Granny and Grandmère.) In the middle of the photos are Uncle Percy in his dress robes with a big red rose in his buttonhole, and Aunt Penelope in a white lacy dress with flowers in her hair and a big bunch of red roses. (Maman's wedding dress was not nearly as lacy or elab-elab-elaberate, but I liked hers better.) And there were eight bridesmaids in pink dresses. (One of them was Aunty Ginny, and Maman was right, pink did look horrible with her hair. Auntie Ginny is scowling a lot in the photos - that might be why. If you look really closely, you can just see the shiny ring on her hand, 'cos she and Uncle Harry had just got engaged.) And the best man was Uncle Percy's friend from school, Oliver Wood, who you might have heard of 'cos he's a famous Quidditch player. (He used to be Gryffindor Quidditch captain – after Uncle Charlie – and Uncle George, and Uncle Harry and Auntie Katie and dead Uncle Fred were all on his team. Uncle George says he always used to make the same speech before matches, and he was a bit disappointed he made a different one at Uncle Percy's wedding.)

And there are lots of other photos, with Weasleys in some, and Clearwaters (that's Aunt Penelope's family) in others, and friends in others. And some with Weasleys _and_ Clearwaters (so many of them that you practically can't see the Weasleys). And some with Weasleys _and _Clearwaters _and_ friends, and …. Dad said the photos took so long he thought they might not get finished that day, but Maman said he was exaggerating. And you can see me in some of the pictures in my new red dress. Dad is holding me, and I'm trying to pull his hair but he won't let me. He hasn't got a rose in his buttonhole in the pictures because I'd already grabbed it and tried to eat it, he says. And Maman is next to Dad in _her_ red dress, with Sharlie in her tummy, looking tired, 'cos having a baby inside you makes you tired. (I don't fancy it much. I don't think I'll have any babies when I grow up.)

And after the actual marrying bit and the photos and the speeches (lots of speeches, Dad said), they had a huge meal (that made me sick down my new dress) and dancing until midnight with two different bands taking it in turns to play. And Uncle Ron tripped over a peacock and broke his arm, and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry had to take him to St. Mungo's to get it fixed, but luckily Aunt Penelope's mother didn't notice, so it was okay. And then Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope drove off in a carriage pulled by a _real live unicorn_. (That's my favourite photo I think – it looks like a picture from the book of Muggle fairytales that Aunt Hermione gave me.) And they went on honeymoon to Italy, and when they came back they lived in the flat in London for a bit till after Paul (that's my cousin) was born, when they moved to a house in Ottery St. Catchpole near Granny and Grandad. (And not too near Aunt Penelope's family, which Uncle Percy says is a Good Thing.)

And the next one is definitely Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny (Maman says so), which was a Christmas wedding. And I remember a bit more about that one, as I was three, and _I _was a bridesmaid (though Maman says I wasn't a very good one).


	3. Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry

Sorry this has been such a long time coming. I decided that since it was a Christmas wedding, I just _had _to get it done before Christmas.

This is for Cassandra's Cross, who has almost succeeded in converting me to liking Harry and Ginny, and whose writing and encouragement are an inspiration.

**III. Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry**

Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry got married two years after Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope (and I was four, not three like I said. I get mixed up sometimes). They got married the week before Christmas. (Uncle George says he's never quite forgiven them for that. He says having to go to a wedding – even if it's your own sister's – a week before Christmas when you own a shop is practically impossible. He did go though – I guess Granny and Auntie Ginny would've killed him if he hadn't.)

Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny didn't have to have a big "Proper Wedding" like Aunt Penelope and Uncle Percy, because a wedding like Maman and Dad's (but without the Death Eaters!) was quite fine with Granny and Grandad, and the only family of his own that Uncle Harry has are the stupid Muggles he lived with when he was a kid who were horrid to him, so they don't count. But their wedding was a Big Deal, because of Uncle Harry being about the famousest wizard around 'cos of being The Boy Who Lived and The Chosen One and The Person Who Got Rid Of You Know Who. (Weird. Uncle Harry is really just Uncle Harry. He thinks it's silly too. He says everyone who fought Mouldy Voldy is just as much a hero as he is, and some of them more so – like Uncle Fred and Teddy's parents and the other people who got killed, and people who got really badly hurt like Dad and Uncle George. Though Dad and Uncle George say that's silly too, and that it was just bad luck that they happened to get hurt, which makes them no more heroes than anyone else. I guess people who are real proper heroes are the type of people who don't want people to think that they are.)

Anyway, because of Uncle Harry being who he is, and because Auntie Ginny was a bit famous too 'cos of playing Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, _everyone_ wanted to come to their wedding, and the '_Daily Prophet'_ wanted to print pages and pages about it, and lots of people who are only important because of their jobs (like working for the Ministry of Magic, or being famous for playing Quidditch or being on the radio) thought they ought to get invites, even if that meant people Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry actually wanted to come couldn't.

So before the wedding, everyone got very cross, and kept shouting at each other about the arrangements, and saying that they were never going to work or to make everyone happy. And Auntie Ginny kept coming to our house and crying, and Granny kept coming to our house and crying, and Uncle Harry and Grandad and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione kept coming to our house and complaining, and Dad had to make them cups of tea and tell them everything would be alright. (Dad's that sort of person. Maman isn't, so she kept out of the way when everyone came to cry or complain.)

And eventually, they got everything sorted out (like Dad told them they would all along). They got married at The Burrow, like Maman and Dad, and they had to have nearly as much magic protection as Maman and Dad did, only this time it was to keep out all the reporters and the photographers and the people who thought they should have had an invitation but didn't get one, and the people who just wanted to come and watch because of Uncle Harry being Harry Potter. They did let one reporter in (though they said it wasn't allowed to be Rita Skeeter, who is the only person I have ever heard Aunt Hermione be really, _really _rude about) and two photographers from the _'Daily Prophet' _and one person from the Wizarding Wireless Network to do a report ('cept that was Uncle George's friend Lee Jordan, and I think he would've been invited anyway). They charged the reporter and the photographers (but not Lee Jordan 'cos they knew him) _lots _of gold to be allowed to come, and then they put the gold in a special vault in Gringotts' (where Dad works) to pay for books and robes and stuff for Hogwarts for kids who couldn't afford them otherwise.

They had a big marquee (nearly as big as the one Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope had) for the wedding, with magic heating 'cos of it being December. But they didn't have any white peacocks (I don't know if that was just 'cos they didn't want them, or 'cos they were frightened Uncle Ron might trip over one again.) And they had a band – but only one band – and a three course meal, and two big bridesmaids and two little bridesmaids (me and Sharlie!!!) and a pageboy.

The best, best, best thing about the wedding was that me and Sharlie got to be bridesmaids and Teddy got to be a page boy. Do you know about Teddy? He's practically another cousin, though he isn't really. He lives with Aunt Andromeda (who isn't actually our aunt) who is his granny, 'cos his mum and dad got killed by mouldy Death Eaters in the battle of Hogwarts (like Uncle Fred). Uncle Harry is Teddy's godfather, and he stays with Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny a lot, and James and Al and Lily call him their big brother, though he isn't really, and he and Aunt Andromeda come to lots of family things. Teddy used to be one of my favourite people in the whole world, and we decided at Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny's wedding that we'd get married when we grew up, but I'm not sure I want to now 'cos he's got really big-headed since he started at Hogwarts. He keeps going on about how he's got a wand, and how fantastic school is, and how it's such a shame that _little kids _like me can't go. Next year, when I do get to go, I'll show him! At least I'll end up in a Proper House, not stupid Hufflepuff like him. (Dad says I have to be a Gryffindor 'cos Weasleys always are, but Maman says I might be a Ravenclaw 'cos I'm so clever. I hope Dad doesn't really mind if I don't be a Gryffindor, 'cos they're supposed to be brave – which I guess is why Dad and all the uncles and aunts except Aunt Penelope were Gryffindors – and I'm not very brave, though I _am _clever.)

Anyway, 'cos of it being a Christmas wedding, everything was Christmassy colours. There were red and green and gold ribbons and flowers decorating the marquee, and Aunt Hermione and Luna Lovegood, who were the big bridesmaids, had green dresses, and Sharlie and me had gold ones. (I think Auntie Ginny chose gold for us because she knew how much I liked the gold dresses she and Tante Gabrielle had for Maman and Dad's wedding. Auntie Ginny's nice like that.) And Teddy had green dress robes, like Uncle Harry's (only smaller, obviously), and Uncle Ron, who was the best man, had really smart new black robes, 'cos he said he wasn't wearing green ones for anyone, not even his sister and his best friend. (Uncle George said he should have had lacy ones, which made Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny and Aunt Hermione laugh, and Uncle Ron go red, but I don't know why.) And Auntie Ginny's dress (which was _really gorgeous_) was white, with green and gold embroidery on the skirt and a green sash and green ribbons on the sleeves. And Auntie Ginny and us bridesmaids all had red and creamy gold roses to carry, and Auntie Ginny had creamy gold roses in her hair ('cos the red ones wouldn't show up properly with her hair) and all the men had creamy gold roses in their buttonholes and so did Teddy.

And – this is the bit that makes Maman say that I wasn't a very good bridesmaid. At the beginning of the marrying bit, everyone was sitting in their seats except Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron who were standing at the front, and Grandad and Auntie Ginny and us four bridesmaids and Teddy who were at the back just outside the door. Uncle Harry was looking happy-but-nervous, and Uncle Ron was just looking nervous and kept checking his pocket to make sure he hadn't lost the rings. (Dad says Uncle Percy had spare ones in _his_ pocket, because no one really trusted Uncle Ron not to lose the real ones, but Uncle Ron didn't know that till afterwards.)

And then Grandad and Auntie Ginny started to walk up to the front, with Aunt Hermione and Loony-I-mean-Luna behind them, and then Teddy and me with Sharlie in between us holding our hands, 'cos she was only two, and we were supposed to make sure she didn't run away or sit down and stop or something. Only, halfway to the front, Sharlie tripped over and pulled me over on top of her, and she yelled and I yelled, and I was so cross I started hitting her and pulling her hair and she yelled even more (and Teddy just carried on walking like nothing had happened). And Dad (who was sitting on the end of a row near the front) grabbed me, and Uncle George (who was sitting behind him) grabbed Sharlie, and they took us to the back with their hands over our mouths to stop us yelling any more, and I was so mad I bit Dad's finger (which was a bad move 'cos he was mad too, and that made him madder). And Uncle George was laughing (only quietly), but Dad looked _really _cross (though he couldn't shout at us 'cos of the marrying going on at the front, which was probably a good thing). So we had to stay at the back with Dad and Uncle George till after Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry had got married, and then when they'd got married, and everyone was clapping and they were kissing each other (yuk!), Dad and Uncle George went and sat back down with me and Sharlie on their laps, so we never got to walk back down behind Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry and Aunt Hermione and Luna and Teddy.

And then afterwards, when all the chairs had rearranged themselves and the music was playing, Dad started to tell me off ('cos he seemed to think it was much more my fault than Sharlie's, which I don't think is fair) and he said I deserved to go home to bed and not get to stay for the meal or the photos or anything. Only then Auntie Ginny came over, and she said, "Bill, you can't be cross with her on my wedding day." (Bill's Dad's name.) And Dad laughed, and kissed her, and stopped being mad, and said, "It's a good thing for you that your Auntie Ginny's nicer than I am, young lady," to me, so it was alright, and I did get to stay.

Then there was dancing, and photos, and speeches, and the meal, and everything. And Teddy danced with me, and that's when we decided we'd get married when we grew up (only now I'm not so sure).

And the next one is Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's, _and _it's Remus's birthday too. (I know I said it was Art and Gabe's before – that was me getting mixed up again. They weren't born till ages after.) That was in the summer, and me and Sharlie were bridesmaids again (Dad said Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione must be crazy to have us), only this time we did it right (more or less).


	4. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione

Sorry this has been so long in coming. "Aftermath" and my Christmas fic took over rather, not to mention "Birthdays". I really enjoyed writing this once I got down to it, and I hope you think it's been worth waiting for.

There are some things in here that I think the nearly-5-year-old Victoire who was at the wedding wouldn't have understood, but which I think she understands "now" as the 10-year old writing the story.

(This is Sensible Universe, so some of the pairings and the kids' names are "wrong"!)

As always, please read and review!

**IV. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione**

Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's wedding was in the summer after Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry's. Like I said, me and Sharlie were bridesmaids again, and this time we mostly got it right. (Sharlie mucked up a bit at the end, but she was only little, and she had a good reason, and no one was cross this time, not even Dad.)

Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione actually had two weddings – a Muggle one, and then a proper one the day after. They had to have a Muggle wedding (at something called a wedistry office, I think) because of Aunt Hermione being Muggleborn. Her Mum and Dad know about her being a witch of course. (Obviously they would. It would be a bit hard to hide from your parents, especially when the Hogwarts letter came.) But lots of Aunt Hermione's relatives and other people she's known since she was a kid don't know, so they had to have a Muggle wedding for them to go to, and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and all the witches and wizards who went had to pretend to be Muggles. (I bet Grandad loved that!) Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry and Auntie Katie, who all know lots about Muggles, had to make sure they were dressed right, and tell them what to say if someone asked them about what their job was or something. Only some of our family went, and I didn't. (I wasn't bothered before, 'cos I thought that Muggle weddings didn't sound nearly as fun as proper ones, but afterwards Auntie Katie said they had a fabulous chocolate cake at the lunch after the wedding, and I had a tantrum 'cos I didn't get any, and Maman sent me to bed early.)

Maman and Dad didn't go to the Muggle wedding either, nor did Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri or Uncle George. (Though Auntie Katie went because of her knowing about Muggles 'cos her mum is Muggleborn, so she was one of the people who could tell the wizards and witches if they were doing something wrong.) And only a few of Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's friends went – people like Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, who knew enough about Muggles to behave like them at a wedding. (Uncle George said they should have let Luna Lovegood go, 'cos she was weird enough for wizards to think she was odd, and she'd be even more fun with Muggles about, but Auntie Ginny told him off and said he was mean, though she was laughing when she said it.)

Maman didn't go to the wedding because it was only a month till Remus was due to be born (actually, it was lot less than that till he _was _born, but no one knew that then), and she said one wedding would tire her out, and she wasn't going to two in two days. (As it turned out though, she practically missed the proper wedding too.) And Dad didn't go because Aunt Hermione said they wouldn't be able to explain the scars on his face to Muggles. She said that they could try and say he got them in a car accident, but people might not believe it, 'cos they looked too much like he'd been attacked by a wild animal (which I guess that horrible Greyback thing was) and they'd never be able to explain _that _to Muggles. She looked upset when she said it, and said, "I'm sorry, Bill," and Dad said he didn't mind. I didn't think then that he did mind, but now I'm bigger, I think maybe he did. (Dad always pretends he doesn't care about his scars, but when you know him you realise he really hates them, and he hates they way they make people either stare at him or avoid looking at him properly instead of looking at him like you would at anyone else.)

And Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri didn't go to the Muggle wedding either, 'cos Uncle Charlie said if someone asked him what he did for work, he'd forget and say he worked with dragons instead of saying he was a zookeeper (which was the nearest thing Uncle Harry and Auntie Katie could come up with for him, and which doesn't sound a bit the same to me really.) And Uncle George didn't go, because he said he wasn't leaving the shop two days running, especially as Uncle Ron (obviously, since it was his wedding) and Auntie Katie were both going to the Muggle wedding and wouldn't be working in the shop that day.

So they had the Muggle wedding, and me and Sharlie and Paul (that's Uncle Percy and Aunt Penny's son) and Will (that's Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri's son – they weren't married then, but they already had him) stayed at Shell Cottage with Maman and Auntie Eleri. (Dad went to work, and Uncle Charlie went to the shop to help Uncle George make fireworks for after the proper wedding.)

And Maman was tired, 'cos of Remus being in her tummy, so she lay on the settee pretending to read a book (but really she fell asleep), and me and Sharlie and Paul and Will did cooking with Auntie Eleri in the kitchen. (Even though Paul and Will were too little to do much really.) And it's a good thing that Maman _did _go to sleep, because we made a huge mess, and she would have shouted at us in French if she'd seen it. But Auntie Eleri – who is one of the smiliest people I've ever met, and who hardly ever gets mad about _anything _– cleared up the mess with her wand before Maman woke up and saw it. But she let me and Sharlie do some of the washing up like Muggles do, and we got very wet, and she had to dry our clothes with her wand.

And later on, everyone came back from the Muggle wedding – even Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, 'cos Uncle Ron said a Muggle wedding didn't count so it wasn't like they were properly married yet, so they couldn't go off on honeymoon. And Aunt Hermione said that they were the only people who actually _were _properly married as far as the Muggles were concerned, and that no one else was, but Uncle Ron said it didn't matter, and he didn't _feel m_arried yet. And Dad came back from work, and Uncle George and Uncle Charlie came back from the shop, and we all went to The Burrow for tea ('cept the people who'd been to the Muggle wedding didn't want much 'cos they'd eaten so much lunch.) And we had the chocolate chip muffins and the ginger biscuits and the sponge cake that me and Sharlie and Paul and Will and Auntie Eleri had made, and everyone said they were yummy.

And they told us all about the Muggle wedding, and they had some photos too (though they were Muggle ones, so no one was moving in them, which was _so _weird). All the men had Muggle suits on, and the ladies had Muggle dresses. Aunt Hermione had a gorgeous creamy coloured dress that came to just below her knees, and the _coolest _lace-up cream boots, and Auntie Ginny (who was the only bridesmaid at the Muggle wedding) had a pale blue dress, and they looked very pretty, but not as nice as they did at the proper wedding the next day. And they told us about the lunch they had at a posh Muggle hotel afterwards, and that's when Auntie Katie said about the chocolate cake, and I had a tantrum about it, and Maman said we had to go home and I had to go to bed early.

And next morning, when me and Sharlie got up and went into the kitchen for breakfast in our pyjamas and dressing gowns, Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri and Will (who were staying with us) were there, and Auntie Eleri was cooking breakfast and Will was sitting in mine and Sharlie's old highchair, but Maman and Dad _weren't _there. And Sharlie burst into tears, and said, "Ou est Maman?" and they said that Maman and Dad had gone to St. Mungo's because Maman was having the baby _today _instead of in a month's time like she was supposed to. And I said, "What about the wedding?" 'cos I was much more bothered about wearing my gorgeous new dress and being a bridesmaid than about the new baby, which I guess was horrid of me, but I was only little. But Sharlie kept crying and saying she wanted Maman, and Uncle Charlie picked her up and put her on his lap and told her a silly story about a dragon eating chocolate cake for breakfast till she laughed. (Uncle Charlie is a very good person to have around when you're sad for any reason, as he's very good at cheering people up.)

And I said, "What about the wedding?" again, 'cos they hadn't been listening to me the first time because of Sharlie crying, and Uncle Charlie said, "I guess we all go to the wedding without your Mum and Dad." (Uncle Charlie always forgets we call Maman Maman, not Mum or Mummy.) And I said, "Who's going to do my hair?" because no one does it like Maman does, and I wanted to look pretty. And Uncle Charlie said I was so like Maman sometimes that it was scary (I'm not really sure what he meant by that), and Auntie Eleri said she was sure that Aunt Penelope or Auntie Ginny or Auntie Katie or Granny would do my hair just fine, but she wouldn't because she was no good at doing hair, even with magic. And then we had breakfast and we got dressed (but not in our wedding clothes in case we messed them up) and we went to The Burrow (by Floo, which I don't like much, so it was a good thing we didn't have our wedding clothes on 'cos they would've got dirty.)

And when we got to The Burrow, everyone was rushing around and making lots of noise. (It's often like that there, but it was even worse than usual that day. Grandmère and Grandpère's house in France is much much quieter.) And Granny shrieked, "Where are Bill and Fleur?" like she thought Uncle Charlie had _murdered _them or something, and when he told her where they were she burst into tears. (Granny _always _cries at weddings, but she started extra early that time.)

And then Uncle Percy came in looking gloomy, and Granny said, "What's happened now?" in the tone of voice you use when lots of things have already gone wrong, and you really _really _don't want to know about anything else. And Uncle Percy said, "We've lost the bridegroom. _And _George." And Granny started crying even more, and Grandad said, "What do you mean, Percy?" and Mr. and Mrs. Granger (who are Aunt Hermione's parents) looked worried, and Aunt Hermione started crying (which isn't like her at all), and everyone was making so much noise and all talking at once that you couldn't hear what anyone was saying, and Paul and Will and Sharlie all started yelling, and it was _horrible_.

And I was standing right next to Uncle Charlie, which is the only reason I heard him mutter, "Where is Bill when you need him?" (Because usually Dad is the person who sorts everyone in the family out when they get upset about things.) And then, Uncle Charlie practically yelled, "Will you all shut up for a minute, and then maybe we can work things out. What exactly has happened? And where are Ron and George?" And everyone stopped talking and crying all at once (I think because they were so surprised at Uncle Charlie shouting like that.) Even Sharlie and Will stopped yelling, but Paul didn't, so Aunt Penelope picked him up and took him outside.

And then Granny said, "The colours in the marquee are red instead of blue and I _knew _that man wasn't listening when I told him what colours we wanted and Hermione's shoes don't fit properly and I haven't finished icing the cake yet and Ginny's pregnant and she keeps being sick and now Bill and Fleur aren't here and Ron and George have disappeared." And she really did say it like that, all in one long sentence without taking a breath, and then she burst into tears again, and Grandad went and put his arm round her.

And I could tell that Uncle Charlie was trying not to laugh, but he went and sat down on Granny's other side and put his arm round her too, and he told her to calm down, and said that apart from Auntie Ginny being sick (and she might be better later) and Maman and Dad not being there (and they _did _have a good reason) he thought that everything else could be sorted out, and he didn't think that Uncle Ron and Uncle George could really have disappeared and he expected they'd be back soon wherever they were.

And Auntie Eleri made everyone cups of tea, and Aunt Penelope came back in with Paul who had stopped yelling. And then Auntie Katie came in and said she knew where Uncle Ron and Uncle George had gone and that they _would _be back soon. But she looked kind of upset when she said it, and when Aunt Hermione asked her where they'd gone, she said, "To the graveyard," in the kind of voice you use when you're trying not to cry, and then all the grown ups looked sad, and I think Uncle Percy actually _was _crying a bit, and even though I was only quite little, I knew they were thinking about dead Uncle Fred. I think that was the first time I realised that even happy days like weddings can be a bit sad if someone isn't there who you'd like to be. (Uncle George and Auntie Katie's wedding was even worse like that.)

Anyway, of course it _did _all get sorted out like Uncle Charlie said it would. Uncle Ron and Uncle George came back, and although their eyes looked kind of sad, they were smiling too. Uncle George and Auntie Katie went off to the marquee to magic the colours right, and Auntie Eleri went to help Granny finish icing the cake. Then Uncle Harry came downstairs and said Auntie Ginny was lying down, but she was feeling better, and she was sure she'd be okay later. And I told Aunt Hermione how cool I thought the boots she wore for the Muggle wedding the day before were, and she hugged me and said, "If they're that cool, I'd better wear them today too, hadn't I?"

And in a bit we all had ham sandwiches for lunch (except for Auntie Ginny who had ginger biscuits and jam), and then we all went and got changed into our wedding clothes. And since Maman wasn't there, Auntie Katie helped me and Sharlie put on our bridesmaids' dresses – which were cream with dark blue sashes and we had blue shoes to match – and Aunt Penelope did our hair with blue ribbons. (And she did it really nicely, and I tried hard not to mind that it wasn't the same as it would have been if Maman had done it.) And then everyone went out to the marquee except Aunt Hermione and Mr. Granger and Auntie Ginny and me and Sharlie, who waited in the house till everyone else had gone, and then we went down to the marquee and we walked down to the front where Uncle Ron was waiting, with Aunt Hermione and her father in front, and then me and Sharlie and then Auntie Ginny. Aunt Hermione had a creamy white dress with a low neck and sort of ruffly bits round the sleeves (and it looked really nice with the cool boots from the Muggle wedding). And Auntie Ginny's dress was the same style but it was dark blue (like mine and Sharlie's sashes), and we all had cream roses to carry, and Aunt Hermione had them in her hair too. And Uncle Ron looked really smart in his dress robes, and so did Uncle Harry, who was the best man. (No one had to have spare rings this time, 'cos they trusted Uncle Harry not to lose them.)

And then they did the marrying bit, and me and Sharlie were really good and stood really still while they did it, without fidgeting much at all. And then Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione walked down to the back of the marquee with me and Sharlie behind them and Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry behind us, but when we were halfway down, Maman and Dad came in through the door at the back, and Maman had a tiny little baby in her arms, and Sharlie forgot that we were supposed to be walking slowly behind Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, and she yelled, "Maman! Daddy!" and she ran over to them. She went so fast without looking where she was going that I think that she would've knocked Aunt Hermione over if Uncle Ron hadn't caught her. And Dad was laughing, and he picked Sharlie up and swung her up into the air, and I ran over too, and Maman bent down so I could see the baby, and she said, "Voici ton petit frère, Victoire." (Which means, "Here is your little brother, Victoire.") Then she said, "Remus, voici ta grande soeur." ("Remus, here is your big sister.")

And then all the family were there, and everyone was smiling and laughing (except Granny, who was crying of course). And Uncle George said, "Has that baby got an invitation?" and everyone laughed, and then they started arguing (though in a nice way) about who got to hold Remus first. Maman said it ought to be me and Sharlie because he was _our _baby brother, so we got to hold him, and then Aunt Hermione did 'cos it was her wedding day (Uncle Ron wouldn't because he was scared of babies then), and then Granny, and then Teddy 'cos Remus was named after his Dad, and I don't know who after that.

After everyone had calmed down a bit, they had all the normal wedding things like photos and speeches and dancing and eating. And Maman sat cuddling Remus, and Dad sat with his arm round her, and they both looked really happy. And me and Sharlie sat with them (though we danced a bit too) and it was _so nice _to have them back again. Dad said we both looked really pretty, but I whispered to Maman that I thought my hair would have looked nicer if she had done it rather than Aunt Penelope. And Maman whispered back to me (in French, so no one else would understand) that my hair looked very nice, but it was "too English", which made me giggle.

And later on – really, really late, _way _past our bedtime, but no one seemed to have remembered that – there were fireworks, which were fabulous 'cos Uncle George is the best person at fireworks in the whole wide _world_. They finished off with a great big heart with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's names in, which was so pretty.

Then Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione went off on honeymoon to New York, and Dad suddenly realised how late it was, and that me and Sharlie should have gone to bed _hours _ago, so we went back to Shell Cottage and went to bed. (And even though I complained about it, and said I wasn't tired, I was really.)

So that was Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's wedding day, _and _Remus' birthday, so it was a pretty special day. The next wedding was Uncle George and Auntie Katie's, which was a pretty special day too, though it confused me a bit 'cos I didn't know it was possible to be really happy and really sad at the same time, but most of the grown ups seemed to manage it that day.


	5. Uncle George and Auntie Katie

Just when you thought George and Katie would die of old age before I got round to writing this!

This is Sober Universe of course. I know JKR's George marries Angelina, but mine doesn't. If you have a problem with that, then go and read a George and Ange fic instead (there are some good ones out there), but please don't flame me.

A reminder that the Victoire writing this is about ten, but she was five and a half at the time of the wedding.

_This being SU, some of the other pairings and kids are "wrong" too. If you're losing track, Bill and Fleur have Victoire, Sharlie (Charlotte) and Remus (at the time of the wedding - the twins Art and Gabe who Victoire mentions were born later); Charlie and Eleri (who aren't married yet) have Will; Percy and Penny have Paul; Ron and Hermione have no kids yet, and Harry and Ginny have baby James._

Listen to the voices in your head telling you to leave a review. Pretty please!

**V. Uncle George and Auntie Katie**

Well, the next one was Uncle George and Auntie Katie's a few months after Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's. It was kind of – odd. Sort of happy, like weddings ought to be, but sort of sad too. And before it, everyone got really upset – properly upset, I mean, crying and things. (I even saw Dad crying, and Dad never lets _anyone _see him cry.)

It wasn't like Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope's wedding when people got upset because of Aunt Penelope's Mum wanting a _Perfect Proper Wedding_; or like Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny's when everyone got upset because of all the people wanting to come to _Famous Harry Potter's Wedding_; or like Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's when everyone (especially Granny) got upset about _The Things That Went Wrong_. It was people getting properly upset because of _Dead Uncle Fred_, and wanting him to be there, and him not being Uncle George's best man like he should have been.

Uncle George and Auntie Katie actually _were _going to get married a bit after Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry and before Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, but they changed their minds about it and cancelled it. Granny was very cross about that, especially as they'd been living together for absolutely ages already and she thought they ought to get married. (Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri were living together as well _and _they had Will, but Dad said even Granny had given up on trying to make them get married 'cos she knew they never would. Which just goes to show that even Dad and Granny are wrong sometimes.)

We went to The Burrow (that's Granny and Grandad's house, remember?) for Sunday lunch one day just after Uncle George and Auntie Katie changed their minds about getting married, and there was a Big Enormous Row about it, and everyone was crying and shouting at each other, but I don't know what they said because Aunt Penelope took us kids out to the orchard to play so that the rest of the grown ups could argue and yell at each other in peace. And by the time Uncle Percy came out to say they'd finished rowing and we could come in now, it was nearly teatime. But tea was really quiet – not like teatime at Granny and Grandad's at all – and all the grown ups were sort of looking at each other sideways and being super-polite, like you are when you've had an argument with someone and you don't want to say you're sorry, but you don't want to start arguing again either. (Me and Dad were like that for the whole weekend last week because I broke the glass in his and Maman's wedding photo, and then blamed the twins. And he was much madder at me for lying about it than for breaking it in the first place. I don't think I will _ever _understand parents.)

And after we got home and me and Sharlie had gone to bed, I heard Maman and Dad talking about Uncle George and Auntie Katie downstairs (well, they weren't talking, they were shouting again, which is why I heard them). And Sharlie was asleep already, but I wanted to know what was going on, so I went to the top of the stairs and listened. And Maman was saying: "I do not seenk zat your family weell ever react normally to sings zat concern Fred, and eet ees about time zat you deed." And Dad was _really_ angry (I could tell, 'cos his voice went dead quiet then), and he said: "Oh, I'm so sorry, we should have got over it, should we? How ridiculous of us to still care about the fact that our brother died when he was barely twenty." And Maman was so cross she stamped her foot at him and shouted that that wasn't what she meant and he knew it, and she burst into tears, and Dad went out and slammed the back door behind him. And Maman said: "Victoire, go back to bed," in a tired sort of voice, and I _still _don't know how she knew I was there.

Anyway, eventually, everyone calmed down, and no one mentioned Uncle George and Auntie Katie getting married again (not even Granny), and then it was Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's wedding and everyone was so busy thinking about that, that they didn't have time to worry about whether Uncle George and Auntie Katie should get married or not, which was probably a Good Thing.

And then, a bit after Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione got married, Auntie Katie and Uncle George found out they were going to have a baby (that's my cousin Freddie, who's named after Dead Uncle Fred, of course). And everyone was really pleased, but it started everyone (especially Granny) saying that they should get married again. And there were _more _arguments, and the only time I've ever ever ever heard Dad shout at Granny was one time when we were at The Burrow (only Uncle George and Auntie Katie weren't), and he told Granny it was up to Uncle George and Auntie Katie to decide whether thy got married or not, and she should stop nagging them about it. (He said sorry for yelling at her later, and I'm glad, 'cos Dad and Granny are two of my favourite people in the whole world, and I wouldn't like it if they were cross with each other for long.)

And then, a bit after that, Uncle George came to our house one day and talked to Dad for ages about whether he and Auntie Katie should get married or not. And I listened 'cos Maman had gone out somewhere and taken Remus with her, but me and Sharlie were playing with our Barbie dolls by the kitchen fireplace while Dad and Uncle George were sitting at the kitchen table and drinking tea and talking. (Barbie dolls are a kind of Muggle doll that Aunt Hermione bought us, and Maman says they are "'ideous" but me and Sharlie like them. And the first time Uncle George saw them, he got that look in his eyes that he gets when he's inventing something, and a bit later on there were witch dolls in his and Uncle Ron's shop, a bit like Barbies but with robes and spell books and cauldrons and with wands that do real sparks. And he gave me and Sharlie one each for free for giving him the idea, and we really like them, but I like my Muggle Barbie doll even better – but I wouldn't tell Uncle George that.)

Anyway, as I was saying, Dad and Uncle George talked for ages about whether he should marry Auntie Katie or not, and Dad looked over a couple of times to see if me and Sharlie were listening, but I think he decided we weren't. And I was sort of listening, but not that much. 'cos it was a bit boring really – you know how grown ups sometimes have talks that go round and round in circles, and they keep saying the same thing over and over but in different ways? It was like that. And Dad kept telling Uncle George that he couldn't tell him what to do, and he had to decide for himself. But Uncle George said that was okay for Dad to say, but how did he know whether what he decided was really what he wanted to do, or whether he was just doing it 'cos he thought he ought to, or 'cos he thought it would make Auntie Katie happy, or 'cos it would stop Granny nagging? And Dad said he had to think about all the reasons for marrying Auntie Katie and all the reasons for _not _marrying her and decide which were more important.

And then Uncle George got upset and he was nearly crying, and he said, "You don't understand, Bill. What if I marry her, and then I lose her too?" And then he started crying properly, and Dad looked sad too, and went and put his arms round Uncle George and told me and Sharlie to go upstairs. So I don't know what happened after that.

A bit later on, Dad called me and Sharlie downstairs to have lunch, and I could see Uncle George through the kitchen window down near Dobby's grave. (Dobby's a house-elf who got killed in the war, but the story about why he's buried in our garden is a bit complicated, so I won't tell you it now.) And Dad said Uncle George didn't want any lunch and just wanted to be on his own for a bit, but I thought he looked kind of lonely. So when we'd practically finished lunch and Sharlie spilt her milk all over herself, I went out of the back door and down the garden while Dad was so busy cleaning up Sharlie he didn't notice what I was doing.

And Uncle George looked surprised to see me, but he said, "Hello, Princess!" and tried to smile at me, but I could see he was still sad really. And I wanted to cheer him up, so I went and held his hand and – I can't believe I told a grown up what to do, but I _was _only little – I said, "Uncle George, I think you ought to marry Auntie Katie 'cos it would make you happy, and I think Uncle Fred would want you to be happy." And he made a sort of choky sound in his throat and said, "How do you know what Uncle Fred would want? You never knew him." And I said, "But I know you, and you're nice, so Uncle Fred must have been nice too." And Uncle George didn't say anything for a bit, but walked off and looked at Dobby's grave. But then he turned round and smiled at me, and it was a proper smile this time, and he said, "How did you get to be so clever?" Then he picked me up and swung me round, and when he put me down, he said, "Race you back to the house," and I beat him (but I think that's 'cos he let me).

So Uncle George and Auntie Katie did get married, but they decided they didn't want a big wedding like everyone else had had. And Uncle George said he didn't want it at The Burrow 'cos it would make him think of Maman and Dad's wedding when Uncle Fred had been there, and they couldn't have it at Auntie Katie's Mum and Dad's house either because their house is only small and only has a little garden, and it's in a Muggle street so the Muggles might Suspect Something if there was a wizard wedding going on. So they had it at Carlino's restaurant in Diagon Alley, which is dead posh, and I'd always wanted to go there, and that almost made up for me not being a bridesmaid. Auntie Katie said she didn't want lots of bridesmaids as it was only a little wedding. She just had her friend Leanne.

And for ages, Uncle George said he wasn't going to have a best man at all, because he was born with a best man (he meant Uncle Fred, of course), and he shouldn't have to choose someone else. But in the end he decided he would have one, and he chose Uncle Percy. And I think everyone was a bit surprised he chose him and not Uncle Ron ('cos he works in the shop with Uncle George) or Lee-Jordan-from-the-radio ('cos he's Uncle George's best friend). When I asked Dad about it, he said it was to do with the argument Uncle Percy had with the family during the War and to do with Uncle Percy being with Uncle Fred when he died. (Which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but Dad had that look on his face that he gets when he isn't going to talk about something any more, so I couldn't ask him what he meant. And when I asked Maman about it, she just sighed and stroked my hair and said she hoped that nothing would ever happen to me that would make me understand how Uncle George felt.)

And Auntie Katie said she wasn't going to have a proper wedding dress because she looked like an elephant (because of Freddie being in her tummy). Though I don't think she looked like an elephant – I think she looked very pretty, even if she was fatter than normal. And Uncle George said he didn't want the men to wear dress robes, and everyone could wear just what they wanted to the wedding. (Granny made a hrmpph-y noise when he said that, but she didn't argue.)

So, on the day of the wedding we got up, and Maman had a pretty red dress, and me and Sharlie had new matching blue ones with stars on the skirts. (Maman made us wear some of Dad's old shirts over them while we ate breakfast so we didn't spill stuff on them). But Maman wouldn't let Dad wear his old dragon skin jacket because she said it was "trop ancien", and Dad glared at her, but he didn't say anything and he found another jacket to wear.

And Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri and Will were staying with us again, and breakfast was a bit quieter than it normally is when they're at our house. Usually Dad and Uncle Charlie don't stop talking and laughing when they get together, but they were both really quiet, and their eyes were sad, although I could tell they were trying to smile. And after breakfast, Maman took me and Sharlie upstairs to do our hair, and Auntie Eleri took Will upstairs to get him dressed (there was no point in doing it before breakfast because he made so much mess). And when Maman had done our hair, me and Sharlie went back downstairs while she sorted out Remus. And when we went back into the kitchen, Dad was crying, and Uncle Charlie had his arms round him. And when he saw us, Dad tried to stop crying, and pretended he was okay, but I knew he wasn't really. And I wished Uncle Fred hadn't died, because then Uncle George's wedding day would be happier for everyone.

Then, when everyone was ready, we went to The Burrow, and Granny was crying, and Uncle Ron looked like he'd been crying, and so did Uncle Harry, and Uncle George and Uncle Percy weren't there 'cos they'd gone to the graveyard. (Auntie Katie wasn't there either. She was at her Mum and Dad's house.) And then Uncle George and Uncle Percy came back, and everyone was trying to be happy, but still being sad really because they couldn't stop thinking about Dead Uncle Fred, and wishing he was there.

And Auntie Ginny looked round at everyone, and I heard her whisper, "I've had enough of this!" And she gave James (who was only really tiny then) to Uncle Harry, and went and stood in the middle of the room, and stamped her foot and put her hands on her hips (and she looked just like Granny when she gets mad). And she said, "Look here, you lot, will you bloody well _cheer up_! I'm surprised Fred hasn't come back to haunt us with the way you're all moping about. If you seriously think Fred'd want us all to be miserable on George's wedding day, when George was the person he loved most in the whole world, then none of you knew him at all!" And there was a bit of a silence for a minute, and then Uncle George went and hugged her, and everyone was happier after that. (It's funny really – Dad and all the uncles are older than Auntie Ginny, but they still let her tell them what to do.)

And then we all went to Carlino's, and Auntie Katie and her Mum and Dad and her aunt and uncle and her two cousins came. And her friend Leanne, who was her bridesmaid, was there with her husband Ernie (who works at the Ministry like Uncle Percy and Grandad), and their little boy Oswald. And Lee Jordan and his wife Angelina (Angelina-Johnson-the-Quidditch-Player) were there with their baby Lola; and Oliver-Wood-the-Quidditch-Player with his wife Alicia and their children Angus and Annie and Andrew (Annie and Andrew are twins, but they don't look the same obviously since Annie's a girl and Andrew's a boy); and Aunt Andromeda and Teddy; and all of us Weasleys and Potters, but no one else. (Except the Regiwizard, who had to be there to do the actual marrying, and all the people who worked at Carlino's, obviously, but they don't really count.)

And Auntie Katie had a lovely green dress (Maman said it was "emerald green"), and she had yellow flowers in her hair and a bouquet of sunflowers, and she looked _so _pretty, and not a bit like an elephant at all. And when Uncle George saw her, he started smiling, and didn't stop smiling all day. And they got married in the garden behind Carlino's, and the sun shone (which was lucky, 'cos it had poured with rain all the day before), and there were daffodils and crocuses and snowdrops in the garden, and it was lovely. And once they were married, everyone clapped and cheered and whistled, and only Granny cried (but she doesn't count because she _always _cries at weddings).

And afterwards, we went into the restaurant and ate melon (which I didn't like, and Uncle Ron ate mine) and chicken curry and cheesecake (which was yummy, and I ate two slices) and wedding cake, and everyone was talking and laughing, and then the music started and everyone started dancing. And I danced with Angus Wood, and Teddy got really cross because I wasn't dancing with him, but I laughed at him because his hair goes red (proper red red I mean, not Weasley red) when he's mad.

And then there were the speeches, and Uncle George's was really short because he said he was too happy to say much. Then when Uncle Percy started his best man's speech by saying, "I shouldn't really be doing this job…" I think everyone was worried it would be sad, but he told so many funny stories about what Uncle George and Uncle Fred did when they were kids, that everyone couldn't stop laughing. And then we had the toast (which is when you wave your glass in the air and say someone's name – like this time it was Uncle George and Auntie Katie's – and not something to eat for breakfast, though it sounds like it). And then Auntie Katie stood up and waved her glass in the air and said, "To Fred", and everyone else did the same and Uncle George kissed her, and everyone was smiling. And Dad let me try some of his champagne (though Maman told him off for it), but I thought it was disgusting and I liked my pumpkin juice better.

And then, after a bit more dancing, and talking and laughing, Uncle George and Auntie Katie went off on honeymoon to Wales (though they went to the graveyard first, so Auntie Katie could leave her flowers on Uncle Fred's grave). And the rest of us went home, and me and Maman and Dad and Sharlie and Remus and Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri and Will went to the beach and had a picnic and made sandcastles and paddled until bedtime. (It was a bit cold, because it was only March, but we didn't care, and Uncle Charlie conjured a fire to warm us up.)

And everyone thought that would be the last Weasley wedding, 'cos they thought Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri wouldn't ever get married, but they were wrong, 'cos they did in the end.


	6. Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri

_So, I've finally hit the "complete" button on this story! I can't believe how popular it has been, and I'm very grateful for all the kind words about it. _

_This is the longest chapter yet. I hope you like it!_

_(AU/SU of course - don't like, don't read!)_

**VI. Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri**

The very last wedding of all was Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri's, and I remember that really well 'cos it was only a couple of months ago. It definitely wasn't what Granny would call a "Proper Wedding", and I think even Maman didn't _really_ approve, but it was great fun, and I think it was my favourite of all the weddings that I remember.

We thought it was just going to be an ordinary Saturday. It was really sunny, even early in the morning, and the twins were being grumpy 'cos they wanted to go to the beach but Dad said we couldn't go until later. And Remus was looking at a picture book about dragons and kept asking Dad questions about them. (And Dad couldn't answer half of them and kept telling him to wait till he saw Uncle Charlie and ask him, and Remus was complaining he wouldn't see him for ages and ages and he wanted to know the answers _now_, which was a bit funny when you think about what happened next.) And me and Sharlie were playing Helter Skelter Hippogriffs (which is a _really _old game that we found in the attic at Granny and Grandad's), and Sharlie kept saying I was cheating (although I wasn't much) and moaning to Dad about it. And Dad was getting cross with us, 'cos he was trying to read _The Prophet_, but we kept interrupting him. And Maman was still in bed, 'cos she wasn't feeling very well (that's because she's going to have more twins, but at least it's going to be girls this time).

And then there was a knock on the window, and when we looked up there was Uncle Charlie, grinning like anything, with Owen in his arms, and Auntie Eleri and Will were behind him, and behind her were two people I didn't know, though the man looked a lot like Auntie Eleri, with a little girl about the same age as Owen and Art and Gabe, and a little tiny baby (really tiny I mean, even littler than Uncle George and Auntie Katie's twins Andrew and Michael, who were our littlest cousins then, only now Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri have David, who is littler).

And Dad jumped up and opened the back door to let them in, and Uncle Charlie introduced the people we didn't know, who were Auntie Eleri's brother Idris (who works with Uncle Charlie at the dragon place) and his wife Yelena and their children Irina and baby Maria. And Dad shook hands with Auntie-Eleri's-brother-Idris, and said, "We've met, I think, when Charlie got attacked by that Horntail." And Remus said, "You got attacked by a Horntail Uncle Charlie?" as if it was a really good thing to do, and Uncle Charlie said "Yeah, but it wasn't a good idea. Don't do it, Remus." And Dad said, "I'm glad you're here, Charlie. Remus has been asking questions about dragons all morning, and _I _can't answer them." (Granny says Remus is even madder about dragons than Uncle Charlie was when he was five, and you'd think he was Uncle Charlie's son, not Dad's.) So Remus said, "Uncle Charlie, how many eggs does a Welsh Green lay at once, and is a Swedish Shortsnout or a Russian Red bigger, and are Hungarian Horntails really that fierce?" and Uncle Charlie said, "Three to five, a Russian Red, and yes," and laughed and picked Remus up and swung him round and said, "We'll make a dragon handler of you yet." And Sharlie said, "Can I hold the baby, can I hold the baby, can I hold the baby?" over and over again, 'cos she's mad about babies, though you'd think she'd be fed up of them 'cos there's so many of them in our family, until Auntie-Eleri's-brother's-wife-Yelena heard her and said "Off coursse you can, my dear." (And she spoke English in a funny foreign way, though not the same way as Maman and Grandmère and Grandpère and Tante Gabrielle and Oncle Guillaume and our other French relatives do.) And Sharlie sat down and Auntie-Eleri's-brother's-wife put the baby in her arms. And then Maman came down to see what all the noise was about, and Uncle Charlie had to introduce Auntie-Eleri's-brother-Idris-and-his-wife-Yelena-and-their-children-Irina-and-Maria all over again.

And everyone found somewhere to sit, which meant all of us kids were on the floor ('cept Sharlie 'cos she was still holding the baby) 'cos our kitchen really isn't big enough for – let's see – fifteen people. And Dad was making tea for the grown-ups, and Maman was pouring pumpkin juice for us bigger kids and milk for the little ones, and then Uncle Charlie said, "So are you lot doing anything today?"

And Dad looked at Maman, and she shook her head and Dad said, "No. Are you going to change that?" And Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri and Uncle Idris and Auntie Yelena (they said we should call them that) all laughed. And Auntie Eleri said, "We are rather. We're getting married."

And Dad said, "What?" and dropped the teapot on the floor, and Maman said something in French, that I didn't hear properly, but I _think_ it was rude, and everyone laughed, and Auntie Eleri _Reparo'd_ the teapot and cleared up the tea on the floor and went to make more, and Uncle Charlie said, "We're getting married. Have you got a problem with that?" And Dad started laughing and said no, of course he hadn't, and Maman said, "Today?" as if she didn't quite believe it, and Uncle Charlie said, yes, today at twelve o'clock, was that okay?

And Dad said, "Are you telling anyone else?" and Uncle Charlie said no, they'd just turn up at The Burrow tonight and tell everyone then. ('Cos we all go to Granny and Grandad's on most Saturday evenings, those of us who live in England, that is, so Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri and their kids don't usually go, 'cos they don't.)

And Maman sat down, looking like she couldn't stand up any more, and she said, "You realise zat your muzzer is going to keell you, don't you?"

And Uncle Charlie grinned and shook his head, and said, "No, that's the clever bit, you see. She'll say Bill should've stopped us, so if she murders anyone, it'll be him."

And Maman laughed, and said. "So you are expecting me to go along wiz a plan zat will get my 'usband keelled?"

And Uncle Charlie said, "Pretty much, yeah!"

And Dad said that didn't feel very fair to him, and then Gabe started crying and said he didn't want Granny to kill Daddy, and he had to be calmed down by Maman and told that it was just a joke (probably).

So then everyone had to rush round finding things to wear, and I wore my blue dress that Auntie Katie bought me. (Auntie Katie always buys me and Sharlie and Georgina and Rosie and Lily really nice clothes, because she says it's more fun buying clothes for girls than boys, and she only has Freddie and Eddie and her twins who are all boys.) And Sharlie put on her _really _old jeans and her bright green tee-shirt and her pink lace-up boots (Uncle Charlie bought her those – Sharlie likes that sort of thing much more than the pretty dresses that Auntie Katie buys us), and when Maman saw her she said she couldn't possibly wear that to a wedding. But Auntie Eleri (who was wearing a really gorgeous red and white dress, with plenty of room for David, who was still in her tummy then) said it was _her _wedding, and she thought Sharlie looked nice, and anyway she didn't care what anyone wore as long as they were happy. So Dad said in that case he was wearing his old dragon skin jacket, and Maman made a face and said something under her breath in French (and I heard her properly that time, and it definitely _was_ rude).

And _finally _everyone was ready, and Maman said, "Where are we going, anyway?" and Uncle Charlie said, "Good point," and said we were going to a place in Snowdonia (that's in Wales – I expect they wanted somewhere in Wales 'cos of Auntie Eleri being Welsh) called The Black Cat. And then it all got very complicated working out which kids were Flooing with which adults, and Maman said she didn't want to Floo because… and then she stopped, and Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri laughed, and Uncle Charlie said, "Another one? How many do you two intend to have?" (Because he knew that Maman is sick if she Floos when she's pregnant.) And Dad made a face at him, and said, "Another two, actually. We seem to be catching up with Mum and Dad," and Uncle Charlie said, "Good luck, mate!" So then it got really complicated, and Dad had to Floo to the place in Wales with the twins (Remus went with Uncle Idris and me and Sharlie with Uncle Charlie), and then he had to come back again to take Maman by Side-along Apparition ('cos she Splinches herself if she Apparates when she's pregnant).

And finally we all got there, and The Black Cat was a really nice restaurant and it was in the middle of the _most gorgeous_ scenery with mountains all round it and a river running by it and flowers everywhere. And they had a big room at the back where they do weddings with great big French windows opening out into the garden, and the room was full of flowers so it was a bit like the garden didn't know where to stop. And Uncle Charlie got a little box out of his pocket and gave it to Dad and said, "You need that. You're the best man." And Dad said, "Am I? Aren't you supposed to ask me, not tell me?" but he didn't look like he minded at all really, and Uncle Charlie said, "Consider yourself asked."

And then the Regiwizard came in, and he looked a bit surprised that there weren't many people, and he kept looking at the door as if he expected someone else to turn up, till Uncle Idris told him no one else was coming. And he had a funny sing-songy Welsh voice (much more than Auntie Eleri and Uncle Idris) which made me and Sharlie giggle. And he said, "So are you ready to start then?" and Uncle Charlie looked at Auntie Eleri and said, "Are we sure about this, love?" and she kissed him and said, "Of course we are Charlie, you're not chickening out now."

So we all gathered round in a big sort of clump of people with Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri in the middle with Will and Owen in front of them, and the Regiwizard said some stuff, and so did Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri, and Dad gave Uncle Charlie the rings when the Regiwizard told him to, and Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri put them on each other's fingers and the Regiwizard said they were married now, and all the rest of us clapped and cheered (and considering there weren't many of us, we made an awful lot of noise).

And then another wizard came in with a camera and asked if they wanted photos taken, and Uncle Charlie said "no" at first, but then Maman said Granny would be less likely to kill anyone if she at least got to see some pictures, so they let the man take some pictures. First he took some of just Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri, and then some of them with Will and Owen, and then some of all of us together.

And then we went into another room ('cos someone else was waiting to come into the wedding room, and then they had loads and loads of people with them, but they didn't look like they having as nice a time as we were) and we had the _best lunch ever_. First of all we had fish and chips, and then we had ice cream and then we had chocolate cake (and I had three slices, but Maman wouldn't let me have four because she said I'd be sick). And everyone was talking and laughing, and us kids were playing chase and crawling under the table but none of the grown-ups minded at all.

And then we went outside while the grown-ups drank coffee, and us kids paddled in the little river and we tried to make a dam with stones to stop the river running and make a little lake, but every time me and Sharlie and Will and Remus got it nearly right, one of the little kids would move a stone and muck it up again. And then Art slipped over and he grabbed Owen and Owen grabbed me and I grabbed Will, and we all fell over and got _really wet_. And Art and Owen were crying, and I was yelling at Art because it was his fault, and Will was yelling at _me_ because he said it was my fault (though it wasn't), and Gabe and Irina started crying too, and Dad and Uncle Charlie and Uncle Idris came and pulled us out of the stream, and they were all laughing, and they got nearly as wet as we were, and Maman and Auntie Eleri and Auntie Yelena got their wands out and dried us all – though it took them a while because they were laughing too much to do the spell properly first time.

But the people from the other wedding (the one with loads of people, and it was much posher – everyone was dressed up like in the pictures of Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope's wedding) were glaring at us because we were being so noisy, and I heard one really snooty witch (who looked a bit like Auntie Muriel, but not quite as old) say something about "some people can't take anything seriously", which didn't make much sense to me, because I thought weddings were supposed to be happy and we were only having fun.

And then this really ugly wizard glared at us, and I could see him looking at Dad, and he muttered something (only loud enough for us to hear, and I think he meant us to) about, "What so you expect from people like that? Clearly a werewolf. Shouldn't be allowed to associate with decent people," and suddenly everyone stopped being happy, and Dad looked upset, and Maman and Auntie Eleri looked angry, and Uncle Charlie looked so mad I thought he was going to hit the ugly wizard, only Dad grabbed his arm and said, "Don't Charlie, it's not worth it," in a flat sort of voice. But no one though to grab hold of Sharlie, and she went right up to the man and said, "Don't you talk about my Daddy like that. He's not a werewolf, and even if he was he'd still be nicer than you, you horrid man!" And the man looked like he didn't know what to say, and Maman said, "Charlotte, viens ici!" but she wasn't cross like she usually is when she calls Sharlie by her full name, 'cos she hugged her and gave her a kiss. And Dad said, "Perhaps we ought to go," but Auntie Eleri got a look on her face that means there's no point at all in arguing with her, and she said, "Absolutely not. It's our wedding day, and I'm not going to let idiots like that spoil it." And she waved to the waiter-man and asked him for more ice creams, and we all sat back down at the table and ate them, and Maman told Auntie Eleri that if we were all sick it would be her fault, but Auntie Eleri said ice cream was too nice to make anyone sick, and anyway she wouldn't _let_ anyone be sick on her wedding day, which made us all laugh, though Dad still looked upset and I could see he and Maman were holding hands under the table.

And then Uncle Charlie asked me and Sharlie if we minded that they hadn't had a proper wedding so we could be bridesmaids, but we said we didn't 'cos we're going to be bridesmaids for Tante Gabrielle (that's Maman's sister) when she gets married to Oncle Guillaume after Christmas. (And Guillaume is French for William, which is Dad's proper name, and I do think it's funny that Maman and her sister should marry men with the same name). And Uncle Charlie said, "Obviously no one's told your aunt about Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny's wedding," and Maman and Dad and Auntie Eleri all laughed, and Uncle Charlie told Uncle Idris and Auntie Yelena about how me and Sharlie had a fight when we were supposed to be being bridesmaids (which was a bit mean of him, 'cos it was ages ago, and we were only little). And then Uncle Idris and Auntie Yelena told us how they got married in a real proper castle in Transylvania, and how they had over three hundred people there, 'cos Auntie Yelena has got such a big family. She's got five sisters and eight brothers which makes Dad's family with just six of them (or seven really counting Dead Uncle Fred) seem quite small. And then they wanted to know about Maman and Dad's wedding, and Dad said it was quite ordinary really compared to theirs, and Uncle Charlie rolled his eyes and said, "What about the Death Eaters turning up at the end? D'you call that ordinary?" And Dad said, oh yeah, he'd forgotten about them. And by that time, the nasty people from the other wedding had gone back inside, and everyone was smiling properly again, even Dad.

And then Maman looked at her watch and said that if we were going to Granny and Grandad's we needed to get going. And Uncle Charlie said they'd come in an hour or so when they were sure that everyone would be there (even Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, who are always late). So Maman and Dad and me and Sharlie and Remus and the twins went to The Burrow. (And we went by Floo, and me and Sharlie are allowed to go on our own when it's somewhere like The Burrow that we've been to before, but Dad had to come back after he'd taken the boys and Side-along Maman again.)

And before we went Uncle Charlie made us _promise _that we wouldn't say anything to Granny or Grandad or anyone else about him and Auntie Eleri getting married because it would Spoil The Surprise. And we all promised, but when we got to The Burrow, it was really hard not to say anything 'cos it had been such fun and it was so exciting, and all us kids kept giggling, and I could tell that even Maman and Dad were trying hard not to laugh. And Granny kept giving us looks like she _knew_ something was going on. And I heard Maman whispering to Dad that they might have to put silencing charms on us to stop us saying something, and Dad said she might have to put one on _him _before too long as well.

And then Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione with Rosie and baby Hugo arrived, and everyone was there, and Granny said it was time to eat, but she kept looking at us suspiciously while she was dishing up the dinner, and I could see she was going to say something sooner or later, and then she put down the serving spoon and looked at Dad really sternly and said, "William Weasley, _what _is going on?" And Uncle George laughed and said, "She's full-naming you, Bill. Are you scared?" And Dad looked at Granny and said, "Nothing, Mum," (and considering how old he is, it was really weird 'cos he sounded just like Remus or Freddie or James when they've done something wrong but won't admit it), and Granny glared at him, and I could tell she didn't believe him. And then (thank goodness!) there were some cracks in the yard, and Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri walked in with Will and Owen, with Uncle Idris and Auntie Yelena and their kids behind them. And Uncle Charlie said, "Hi, Mum, hi Dad, hi everyone," in this really matter-of-fact tone of voice, like everyone had been expecting them all along, and went to kiss Granny. And Auntie Eleri introduced Uncle Idris and Auntie Yelena and Irina and Maria to everyone, and they looked _very _confused by all the names, and Uncle Ron said, "I hope you're taking notes. You will be tested on this later," and everyone laughed. And Grandad looked at Dad and said, "So is this the big secret that you were all keeping, Bill?" and Dad said, "Something like that, yeah," (which wasn't _quite _a lie).

And Granny sent Uncle Percy to expand the dining room a bit more and magic some more chairs, and she finished dishing up the dinner and we all sat down to eat, and Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri _still_ didn't say anything about being married, and me and Sharlie couldn't even _look _at Uncle Charlie because every time we did he winked at us and made us giggle. And Granny was looking even more like she knew something was going on than she did before, only now she was giving Uncle Charlie sideways looks instead of Dad, but Uncle Charlie just kept on eating and talking like he hadn't noticed, and then I started laughing because I just couldn't help it, and that started Sharlie and Remus and the twins and Will and Owen laughing too, and then Maman and Dad and Uncle Idris and Auntie Yelena started, and then even Auntie Eleri did, but Uncle Charlie didn't laugh at all he just carried on eating. And everyone else stopped eating and looked at us because they didn't know why we were laughing, and the looks on their faces made us laugh even more. And Granny said, "Charles Weasley, _what _is going on?" to Uncle Charlie, just like she had to Dad earlier, and Uncle Charlie said, "Nothing, Mum," in _exactly _the same way as Dad had earlier, but of course Granny didn't believe him. And then even Uncle Charlie started laughing, and he said, "Okay, okay," and reached over and took Auntie Eleri's hand and said, "We got married today."

And there was silence for about a minute, and then Granny shrieked, "You did _what_?" and everyone started talking and laughing and asking questions all at once. And Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri just sat there looking at everyone and smiling but not saying anything, and eventually everyone calmed down a bit, and Grandad said, "Explain, Charlie." And Uncle Charlie told everyone that they'd just decided last week that it was about time that they got married, but they didn't want a lot of fuss, so they decided to surprise everyone and just _do_ it. And he told them about going to the place in Wales and that they'd got married there. And then, of course, Granny realised that we'd known, and that's why we'd been laughing, and she looked at Dad and said, "Bill, why didn't you stop them?" And Dad said, "When could anyone _ever _stop Charlie doing something he wanted to do? And anyway, I thought you_ wanted _them to get married." And Granny said, "Yes, but…" and then stopped, and looked like she might cry, and Uncle Charlie got up and went and hugged her and said something to her that I didn't hear, and she smiled and kissed him.

And then Aunt Penelope and Auntie Ginny started clearing the table, and Uncle George looked at Uncle Ron and said, "Ron – c'mon," and Uncle Ron said, "Where?" and Uncle George said, "Fireworks," and Uncle Ron said, "But we haven't had pudding yet!" and Uncle George said, "Tough! It won't kill you," and pulled him out of his seat, and they went out and Disapparated in the yard, and the rest of us ate pudding, and everyone looked at the wedding photos, and by the time Uncle George and Uncle Ron came back, even Granny had calmed down a bit.

And then we all went out to the paddock for the fireworks, and there was even a heart with Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri's names in it, which was pretty good when Uncle George hadn't known he'd need it beforehand (but then he is pretty good at fireworks, like I said before). And then we all went back inside and the grown-ups drank wine and us kids drank pumpkin juice and everyone was talking and laughing and someone put some music on and people started dancing. And then Georgina spoilt it by falling asleep and falling off her chair, and the grown-ups realised how late it was, and started saying we all had to go home to bed, and me and Sharlie tried arguing, but it didn't do any good. And Uncle Idris and Auntie Yelena and Irina and baby Maria came back with us and stayed at Shell Cottage, which was fun, and Will and Owen stayed at The Burrow with Granny and Grandad so Uncle Charlie and Auntie Eleri could go off by themselves to a posh hotel for the night. (They hadn't been going to, but everyone told them they had to.)

And the next day, we all met up again and went to the beach and played games and made sandcastles and paddled and had a huge picnic, and it was Great Fun.

And that really was the last Weasley Wedding (I guess the next one will be one of us kids – but not me because I've decided never to get married – and anyway that won't be for years and years, because I'm the oldest and I'm only ten). And I let Maman and Dad read my story, and they laughed a lot, but they said it was really good and I ought to write something else, so perhaps I might.


End file.
